The Worth Of Knowing

“The good news of the Bible is not that we are not worms, but that God helps worms who trust him.” ~ John Piper

It’s a thought to chew on for sure.

I feel like the teachings around humans being depraved and humans being made in God’s image are like tangled balls of yarn or Christmas tree lights all knotted in a bunch. You tug on one end to get it loose and make knots tighter on the other side.

The one strand says, we are like worms and depraved. The three places in Scripture where people are called “worms” are:

Isaiah 41:14 (God promises to help and redeem Israel – who He refers to as a worm)

Job 25:4-6 (Job’s “friend” compares God’s righteousness, brightness, and purity to ours – in comparison we are like maggots and worms)

Psalm 22:6 (prophesy of Jesus being treated as a worm – not saved by God and mocked by people)

According to Piper being called a “worm” has to do with being treated and being in the condition of “unclean.”

I can get behind that. What I can’t get behind is making the jump from “unclean” to “unloved.” And I think it’s a jump that many Christians make.

But if God’s love is unconditional than people being unloved by God is not possible. If God loves His enemies as He tells us to, than “unclean” cannot mean “unloved.” The saved and the unsaved are both loved.

We were always loved.

Instead, being a “worm” in the sense of being “unclean” is like being the prodigal son in the pig sty with the father eagerly waiting for his return. The father’s love never wavered. Being a “worm” is also like being the older brother and refusing to obey his father by not going and celebrating his younger brother’s return. The father responds by saying, “‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours’” (Luke 15:31 ESV). The older son is loved too.

Being “unclean” or a “worm” is rooted in believing our heavenly Father’s love is not enough. It’s going to temporary things to fill us up – either worldly pleasures (like the prodigal son) or our own righteousness (like the older brother).

In other words, being “unclean” or a “worm” is not about God not loving us or God not being near or God withdrawing any worth He gave to us in creating us in His image. Instead, the root of being a “worm” is looking outside of fellowship with God for value and worth and love.

The other tangled strand says we are image bearers. From the very beginning God said “I will make man in my likeness.” We were God’s image bearers before we were worms (aka unclean). It is at the core of who we are.

Even after saying that sin affects every aspect of man’s existence God reiterates that He created man in His image (Genesis 8:21, 9:6).

This too is God’s common grace: God making us in His image despite how we would be inaccurate representations of Him.

Some will say, this is a gospel of self-worth, but it’s not. It’s God given worth.

In fact, I think it’s interesting that calling ourselves “worms” is, for some, viewed as more holy when it is actually a state we earned ourselves. It is the definition of finding worth in ourselves.

On the other hand, God made us in His likeness. God made us loveable by loving us. God makes us His children. This is God given worth. Therefore, when viewed Biblically, it is what glorifies God.

I think if we untangle those two strands of Christmas lights we might find something simple, yet startling.

God loving His worm-like image bearers.

It’s different than, going back to Piper’s quote, that the good news of the Bible is “not that we are not worms, but that God helps worms who trust Him.”

Instead, maybe the good news of the Bible is that God made us like Him despite knowing we would become like worms (as in unclean)

and that God loves His worm-like image bearers unconditionally

and God saves worm-like image bearers who trust in Him.

Like my kids when we plugged in the Christmas tree lights for the first time this year, seeing what God has done makes me wide eyed in wonder.